uphill

An Uphill Climb

by Carrie Gilmore

on the summit of Camel's Hump

EV main page / EV Tutoring / Brian Thompson's home page / counselor's photo album 1998 / Miss Massachusetts USA speaks of her experience with Earthen Vessels / Job Description / contact: brian.thompson@umb.edu or mcthmpsn@yahoo.com

This text appeared in the Fall 2000 issue of Earthen Vessels News.

I experienced many notable moments at camp this summer but, like last summer, found particular inspiration in the experience of the kids who went up the mountain. During our August session with 12-14 year olds, I spent the second and third hike with a camper who had a funny combination of willingness and resistance when going up the mountain. I knew that she worked hard at home to help her mom and take care of her little sister and was not unused to the idea of challenge. At the same time, when faced with a mountain trail, she was leery of what was obviously going to be very hard work. When we climbed Camel's Hump, I was amused by the doubt and nervousness she expressed because she bounded up the dirt trail and rocks with such strength. Several times on the way up, I listened as she listed her aches and pains and bemoaned her fading strength, and then watched as her long, slim legs pulled her over boulders and up the trail. She wasn't sure she could make it to the top but with each step proved that she would with gusto.

On the third and last hike of the session, the two of us set out with the others to climb Mansfield. It is a difficult mountain in any weather but was all the more daunting that morning because of the cold air and low clouds. The change in weather that was supposed to happen never did, and when a slow but steady drizzle started, Talisha's confidence and enthusiasm plummeted. She wouldn't speak a word except of frustration under her breath, and she trudged on with defiance rather than joy. I offered her my sweatshirt several times, knowing that she was chilly and wet, but she stubbornly refused. When I thought she might be ready to accept it, I tried again but had no luck. Then, somewhere along the trail, a change occurred, and her attitude shifted. I don't know what sparked the transformation, but, though the rain continued, she made the rest of the hike a pure pleasure for me. She shyly asked if she could borrow my sweatshirt after all and soon after began to check up on me instead of the other way around. When she heard me slip or felt that I had fallen a step behind, she asked if I was okay and wondered if I was warm enough. As it turns out, we didn't go all the way to the top because of the weather, but any observer at the cabin just below the summit would have assumed we'd made and surpassed our goal, and in fact we had. When we headed back down the trail for hot chocolate and a nap, we were full of the joy of our success. I felt exhilarated by the excitement and challenge of our adventure but was fueled even more by the satisfaction of having witnessed Talisha's change of heart.

The pleasure of such a moment is in being present when a victory is won. The challenge was Talisha's&emdash; it was hers to struggle with, choose, and then overcome&emdash;and I was lucky enough to be a part of it because I was there. Here in Boston, I've seen a similar transformation in a tutee who had her own mountain to climb, this one academic. Three years ago, she was having trouble focusing in school and steadily losing interest. She ended up at summer school and gained a reputation as a student who was inconsistent with homework, unprepared for tests, and lacking in long-term momentum even after a spurt of greater effort. What a change I see in her now! After a few years of close follow-up at the school, greater accountability, and persistent encouragement on the part of the EV community, Sheri has changed the way she sees herself, and that has made all the difference. Last year, she was an honor roll student at her new high school, and she earned a reputation as a hard-worker who was a pleasure to have in class. Already this fall, I have had several opportunities for conversation with her, and I am struck by her solidity. In her years in EV, she has struggled and, like Talisha, wanted to quit but never did. Somewhere along the way, she made a decision to see herself and her work differently. It has been my pleasure to walk with her through that process, just as it was my pleasure to be with Talisha on that cold, wet trail.

The image of the mountain is one that we often use at camp and tutoring, and I continue to find deep meaning in it, both in a literal and symbolic sense. Talisha climbed the mountain, literally, and pushed through the moments when her confidence failed her. Sheri (who has also climbed the mountains at camp!) has spent several years on her own symbolic, uphill climb with school. Her increasingly solid victory there has provided a great parallel to Talisha's victory in Vermont. It's a great welcome back for me and an assurance of more victories to come.